ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 26, 2009--St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) today announced European CE Mark
approval of its Libra(R) and LibraXP(TM) deep
brain stimulation (DBS) systems for treating the symptoms of Parkinson's
disease, a neurological disorder that progressively diminishes a
person's control over his or her movements and speech. The limited
launch of these systems in Europe marks St. Jude Medical's first
products in the DBS market.

The Libra DBS systems function in a manner similar to a heart pacemaker
by delivering mild electrical pulses from an implanted device to
stimulate structures in the brain that are involved in muscle and
movement control. Stimulation is delivered to one of two regions in the
brain known as the subthalamic nucleus (STN) or the globus pallidus
interna (GPi) to influence nerve cell activity in these regions.

"The approval of our first deep brain stimulation system represents the
fulfillment of a milestone for St. Jude Medical as we continue to
deliver on our promise to develop therapies to treat neurological
conditions," said Chris Chavez, president of the St. Jude Medical
Neuromodulation Division.

The Libra and LibraXP neurostimulators are constant current
devices that feature the largest battery capacity of any DBS device in
their class, which may maximize the time between device replacement
procedures. This therapy can be non-invasively adjusted by a clinician
to meet individual patient needs.

"We have a long history in the development of neurostimulation therapies
with more than 45,000 people implanted with our devices for chronic
pain," adds Chavez. "We look forward to providing physicians with this
innovative deep brain stimulation system that allows them to better
control the symptoms of this debilitating disease."

Parkinson's disease affects an estimated 6.3 million people worldwide,
according to the European Parkinson's Disease Association. Research
suggests that men are two to three times more likely to be diagnosed
with the disease than women. The National Parkinson's Foundation
estimates that 1 in every 100 people in the U.S. over the age of 65 has
the disease.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association concluded that DBS was a more effective treatment than
best medical therapy for the management of moderate to severe
Parkinson's disease.

St. Jude Medical is also currently developing new DBS applications to
address a growing list of neurological disorders. Clinical studies are
underway in the U.S. for depression, Parkinson's disease and essential
tremor.

About St. Jude Medical

St. Jude Medical develops medical technology and services that focus on
putting more control into the hands of those who treat cardiac,
neurological and chronic pain patients worldwide. The company is
dedicated to advancing the practice of medicine by reducing risk
wherever possible and contributing to successful outcomes for every
patient. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., St. Jude Medical employs
approximately 14,000 people worldwide and has five major focus areas
that include: cardiac rhythm management, atrial fibrillation, cardiac
surgery, cardiology and neuromodulation. For more information, please
visit www.sjm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

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of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve
risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include the
expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, including potential
clinical successes, anticipated regulatory approvals and future product
launches, and projected revenues, margins, earnings and market shares.
The statements made by the Company are based upon management's current
expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in
the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include
market conditions and other factors beyond the Company's control and the
risk factors and other cautionary statements described in the Company's
filings with the SEC, including those described in the Risk Factors and
Cautionary Statements sections of the Company's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2007 and Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 27, 2008. The Company
does not intend to update these statements and undertakes no duty to any
person to provide any such update under any circumstance.